Unbreakable Spirit

The ruffling of the marketplace was something the young Dyrin was used to, it was a place his parents often resided, for it was the best place to beg for money. Dyrin had always been their way of making people empathize with them, but as Dyrin grew, fewer people cared about the family.

And because of this, Dyrin's parents agreed to sell him off in order to even survive. So as he was dragged to a cage, the young Dyrin looked upon his parents, begging to be taken back, yet they never replied, never even turned back to their son. For months Dyrin moved all throughout western Fabarol, his small body not appealing to those at the slave auctions, so he was often left alone.

But as the traveling slave market made its way to the Kingdom of Hulda, Dyrin was led to a wooden platform. The boy's eyes were like that of a dead person, hopeless, waiting for death, no, begging for death.

But as the bidders started to throw around their bids, the dark clouds parted, a rare sight in the Kingdom of Hulda. And as the Sapphire heavens revealed itself upon Dyrin, his eyes shimmered, its golden hue sparkling brighter than ever before. Its beauty mesmerized Dyrin, and he found himself smiling for the first time in his life.

So as the years passed, and Dyrin grew to be Hulda's best adventurer, he remembered the joy of the blue horizon, and on his last day, he smiled the brightest he had ever.

Seeing this, Rapl couldn't help but grin with excitement, "DYRIN!!" He yelled, his mana surging like never before. For the past eight years, after the death of his parents, Rapl had felt like a dead man, but now, that life has come back again, "YOU SHALL BE REMEMBERED!! AS THE LICH ASHKIN'S FIRST!! AND BRIGHTEST CHALLENGE!! NOW!! CARVE YOUR NAME INTO ETERNITY!!"

Dyrin descended upon Rapl, his blade burning like never before, "FLAME SHOT!!" He cast, firing a surge of flames the size of a house. Rapl foresaw the damage it would deal to him; but his heart roared louder than his brain, as he ran at the projectile, his hands igniting with a furious storm.

"ROARING MARL!!" With a punch, he sent a lion made of lightning toward the spell, its impact causing trees hundreds of feet away to be blasted into shards. Dyrin's smile grew as his feet touched the ground, and from the smoke came Rapl.

Dyrin's knife was then covered by so much mana, that the blood from his eyes began to surge, causing fatal amounts of blood flow. But Dyrin paid it no mind as he readied a strike towards Rapl, preparing his blade, he quickly turned around, as he swung at the real Rapl who was trying to build up a surprise attack.

Rapl felt the mana go through his own, as the strike caused a massive slice to form on his chest even with lesser Lich's channeling. But Rapl's eyes had seen this. A surge of flames came from the ground, as it swallowed Dyrin whole, Rapl began to smell the scent of burning flesh as he readied to throw a punch.

But before he did so, an arm came out from the surge of flames, grabbing Rapl's neck as the Lesser Lich was thrown hundreds of feet away. Dyrin dug his knife to the ground, his power causing the ground to be split in a fifty-feet radius, "DRAGON'S CLAW!!" An eruption of flames came from the crack at Dyrin's cast, as with a swing of his knife, the flames gathered as it was thrown towards Rapl.

Far away, Artefus and Quix watched with amazement, "A-Artefus… are you sure this Rapl guy has only learnt magic a few months ago?" He asked with an unknowing smile.

Artefus watched on with a proud smile, "I get what you're feeling Quix," he responded, "Such potential at a young age… not just Rapl though, this Dyrin boy is something else." Artefus put a hand on his chin as he calculated the power of both champions; paralleling them to the weaker bunch of mid-tier champions, a category of fully grown, talented people of at least thirty years.

As the wave of fire came towards Rapl, his eye predicted him being sliced in half, even if he were to Channel his hands to block. But the wave was too large just to dodge, so instead, Rapl gritted his teeth as blood began to pour from them and his eyes, "IGNI!!" Rapl fought fire with fire, as he committed on a Igni punch.

But it paid off, as Rapl managed to break through a small part of the move, at the cost of his arm being charred, but still usable. Rapl took some heavy breaths, ones Dyrin took full advantage of, "FLAME DANCE!!" He yelled, laughing as he covered a massive distance in under two seconds.

Waves of flames began to be emitted from Dyrin's blade, as he swung and swung, laughing with joy as he did so. As Rapl was trying to block and parry the shots, he gazed upon the sight of Dyrin, his happiness was something that left him in such awe, "Beautiful," he remarked in his brain.

With a strong kick, Dyrin sent Rapl flying, but as his body hit the ground for the first time, it fizzled out. Dyrin was then hit by a left hook, but instead of going far, Rapl carried Dyrin's face as he shoved it into the ground. The earth itself cracked as a crater was formed as if a small meteorite had fallen.

Then, Rapl cast, "FULRIF!!" causing a fist of fire, the size of a tree to appear as Rapl formed a fist. As if the Lesser Lich's hands were like that of the fire fist, when Rapl brought down his fist, the fire copied it.

Dyrin's remaining mana surged with danger even without Perception being used. At the last possible moment, Dyrin moved away from the crater as Rapl brought down the flame. The crater sparked yellow in a split second as it exploded in orange and red, its force enough to break a small mountain.

Smoke covered the general area, but as fast as it appeared, it was parted again as Dyrin and Rapl stared at each other, their hands sparking a yellow fire.

"FLASH!!" They both cast, meeting in an explosion of sparks. Yet again, Rapl and Dyrin's swings parted all around them as they began to enter a slugfest, with Rapl trading shots with Dyrin in a bloody display of will.

All spectators worldwide were in shock, even the powerful champions, who could produce the same amount of destruction with a medium-rate spell. Even they were in awe of the brutality and determination shown. But as much as people dreaded the power and character of the Lesser Lich, many more felt encouraged by the lone warrior.

Fighting so hard, even when death was so near, suffering through all the pains of battle, yet still brightly smiling as if he were in paradise. It struck many hearts of those suffering, such as the poor Vashis of the Kingdom of Vashigour, and the enslaved Flowers of the Monarchy of Ushoup. The champion was beautiful, and even giving him the title of champion didn't fit, he was more, he was a hero.

The skies itself parted with each clash between the two champions, the earth broke as the grass danced with the sheer amount of pressure being shown. With a shove of his knife, Dyrin pierced through Rapl's armor, digging into his shoulder.

With a smile, Dyrin cast fire to be sent through his knife, as Rapl's body was filled with a roaring flame. The Lesser Lich grunted in pain, as he tightened his fist and drove it into Dyrin's mouth while the pirate was defenseless, sending him tumbling.

Both warriors took heavy damage, but Rapl merely gritted his teeth as Dyrin drove his fingers into the dirt, causing a fingernail to be ripped off. Yet still, they smiled.

Such life the young Tsukumo felt, though it hurt, he felt like he belonged. With a stomp of his feet, he sent a blast of fire to travel the ground. Dyrin saw the attack, but without enough mana to use Perception too much, he dodged it instinctually, causing a bit of his body to be grazed.

But in the middle of his dodging, Dyrin's knife burned brightly as the blood in his eyes was too much, he couldn't see out of his right eye and his right ear was deaf. But still, he swung, "PULRUM!!" Sending a massive wave of fire towards Rapl.

The lesser Lich foresaw he couldn't dodge it, as his eyes began to blur due to rapid use of the All-Seeing-Eyes. So instead he put his arms behind his back, relying on his armor to take all the damage, the Lesser Lich tanked a full-powered Pulrum with the smallest amounts of Channeling, enough to keep him alive.

Rapl's exhausted body hit the ground hard, as he felt his shoulder get dislocated. But as he forced himself to get up, he merely popped it back in, paying no mind to the pain. In front of him stood a warrior, no, a hero, whose smile was brightly shining even as one of his eyes was fully bloodshot.

The two stood groggily, as if it was their first time to do so. With a smirk, Dyrin opened his mouth, "W-what about t-that… Lich?" Dyrin asked, his shaking hands pointing at Rapl, "W-will you ever f-f-forget about t-this fight?"

At his question, Rapl moved his fingers a bit, making Artefus temporarily remove all sound from the Projection, "Cert-ainly it n-not," he responded, a surprisingly warm smile on his face. Dyrin was a bit taken aback by the look of Rapl, "I take pride, that I ever t-traded hits with y-you, Unbreakable Spirit." But as he finished saying his true emotion, he moved his finger again, as Artefus returned the sound, "Now then, hero, let us finish this."

The last drops of mana entered Rapl's fists, as Dyrin chuckled one last time, "Yes, let us." One last time, Dyrin's blade ignited with a raging flame, as he prepared to swing it, "FIGHT!! OR DIE!!!"

Rapl's fist gleamed the brightest red it had ever, as its heat even began burning the grass below him and even his clothes. Rapl pulled his fist all the way back, stomping as he put all his power into the one shot, "IGNIS!!"

Artefus' and Quix's eyes grew in shock as Dyrin swung his blade.

"SCORCHING SHOT!!" Dyrin cast, sending a spiral of flames towards Rapl.

But just like Dyrin's new spell, Rapl also had one. His mana traveled from his heart, to his shoulders, down his elbow, and finally, "FINALIS!!" The second the mana left his fist, his nails burst off as a stream of blood came from them.

But what came out was a burst of flame and wind in the shape of a fist. It was about fifty feet big, and as it met the Scorching Shot, the blast radius was so strong it could've been felt for miles.

The combined mana caused a three-hundred-feet crater to be formed, and a huge dust cloud to appear. But instead of more battling, what came next was silence. Zeroth watched, as an unknown hero battled an unknown threat, their breaths were halted as the dust cloud was parted.

"No one will cheer for you."

There, on each side of the crater, stood two figures.

"All will hate you."

The Lesser Lich, his back turned away from the projection, standing as still as a statue.

"They shall curse your victories."

And on the other side, the hero, the radiant sun. Motionless, his eyes and skin devoid of any blood."

"They shall celebrate your death."

He died standing, his pose that of his final act, fighting.

"You are no longer a person."

Tears began to well up in the eyes of the spectators, to the weakest of civilians, up to the mightiest champions. An unknown hero he started, but a revered hero he became, Dyrin, the Unbreakable Spirit.

"For you are."

But suddenly, the Lesser Lich's body began to move, as dread began to replace sadness. His neck slowly turned, as his piercing red eyes stared at the entire world, pulsating, implanting fear into their very being.

"Villain."